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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

What are radio galaxies?

A radio galaxy with dark wispy structures expanding out from the center with a bright yellow light at the heart.

A radio galaxy is a galaxy that dominates the sky over Earth in radiowaves. These intense radio emissions originate from vast lobes of gas that extend well beyond the galaxy's visible structure, often spanning millions of light-years.

Typically appearing in pairs, these radio lobes form when the galaxy's core contains an active galactic nucleus (AGN). This extremely luminous region is powered by a supermassive black hole, superheating and feeding on the surrounding material, causing the galaxy to radiate brightly.

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